Chapter Text
America tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the screaming to end. Honestly, he needed to get out of the meeting room, and if his colleagues continued to lecture him any longer, he would run out of the room. Or maybe jump out of the window if he’s really desperate. He can survive a several-story fall, and due to the rise of enhanced individuals and mutants, no one would question him too much.
“Are you done yet?” America complained, masking his worry with feigned entitlement. “I have things to do that are not spending my time here.”
He wants to visit his children in person rather than speak to them through a screen. He wants to make sure his children are fine and not abducted by a dead organization hellbent on becoming the closest thing to immortal. He wants to be with his children instead of being in a room full of people blaming him for the actions of people he had no control over.
“Are you serious, America?” Germany shouted, his voice rising in volume. “Your group of renegades had destroyed a large section of one of my airports.”
“You should have better control of your heroes,” England added, staring at him with that disappointed parental frown that stopped being effective centuries ago. “You would be bloody lucky if no casualties result from your childish heroes’ spat.”
The other nations rally behind England, adding their two cents about the so-called Civil War on German soil. No one is allowing him to speak since everyone is adamant about scolding him for something outside of his control. Yes, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, and several others are from American soil. Some are left up to debate, like Black Widow, but that’s beside the point. However, the nations in this room know better than anyone else that the actions of several citizens are never the country's fault.
But sure. Go ahead and yell at him. He had stopped caring about most of the countries’ opinions decades ago and let them believe the American idiot facade he’s putting up is the real deal. It’s pretty easy to pretend he can’t read the atmosphere or an extremely conceited nation that thinks the world revolves around it. After all, most had formed assumptions about him due to his age and obsession with heroes! (Which was totally unfair! Germany was younger than him, and he is not treated like this!)
“I’ll pay reparations for the damage done,” America commented after growing tired of being scolded like a child. “I’ll even use my personal budget to compensate for the emotional damage and throw something extra for those with kiddos.”
And just because he can, America began to slurp on a ridiculous, large cup of soda he pulled out of nowhere while dismissively waving his free hand. He made sure to almost smack England in the face since he knows that will annoy the brit.
What can he say? He has to ensure he’s fueling the assumptions they have about him. Also, it’s fun to rile up some of the representations.
“Why can you never take anything seriously?” England shouted, smacking the waving hand near his face. “One would expect a representation with so many superpowered individuals would be responsible enough to manage them, much less keep them within their borders.”
“It must be the western food he’s eating,” China interjected, shooting the American a disapproving look. “It could be why his country has so many superpowered individuals.”
Very funny. Another jab about his food. Very original. At least when England is insulting, the dude manages to be creative in their jabs.
“It’s not the food,” America responded as an obnoxiously optimistic smile spread across his face. “It’s because I’m just the best, so I have all the cool heroes! You’re all just jealous.”
He was met with several raised eyebrows from some representatives and a few confused looks. Just then, he realized that he may have gone overboard in his facade act. Not once had he ever mentioned other countries being so jealous of him! He’s supposed to be conceited, but not this!
(Later, he would reflect and realize that after centuries of cultivating an overly exaggerated version of himself, he was bound to mess up at some point.)
“Anyways, I have big things to take care of,” America quickly mentioned, taking slugs in between. “I’ll make sure to send the checks to Germany’s boss so the civilians caught in the crossfire can receive their compensation. Once I know the total cost of damages at the airport, I’ll also send a check for that.”
It was rare for anyone to leave this early in a meeting when they are strictly enforced. It was even rarer for someone like him to go, but America just wanted to check up on his kids and take a moment to breathe. All the frustration of dealing with nations, the growing worry for his children, and his mentally exhausted state were beginning to get to him.
“You can’t just go,” England scolded the blond, but America was already heading his way out. “The meeting had barely started.”
“Let him go,” China said, not caring if the blond was leaving. “He doesn’t contribute much to the meetings in the first place.”
“It will give us a break from his superhero presentation, da,” Russia added, suddenly appearing behind England.
America simply laughed, ignoring what most had to say. The nations are usually not this blatant to his face, but it’s oddly refreshing. It’s not all of them since nations like Italy are wishing him a safe trip, but it’s a significant number.
Oh well. Let them talk. It just means there is less chance of them discovering his children since they would be busy focusing on him.
Heroes. America had always been fond of them before he knew what a hero was. As a child, he had always admired those with the courage to dive into danger when nobody else would, actively choose to do good, and protect those who can’t defend themselves. It’s why he’d always been amazed by the different types of heroes he met over his lifetime.
The revolutionary soldiers, the activists, the advocates, the firefighters, the nurses, the random people who risked their lives for the strangers, and so many more—all of those people are awesome!
And just as awesome as those people are the heroes created for comic books, movies, and anime! However, he didn’t expect to ever reach a point in history where there would be heroes like the ones in the comics. Maybe they aren’t exactly like Superman or Batman, but they are close!
“But no one would ever be as awesome as my kiddos,” America stated, bringing his face closer to his laptop screen. “You have no idea the lengths I would go for you and your siblings, Delaware.
“We appreciate that, but that’s not an excuse to leave a world meeting,” Delaware mentioned with an analytical look. “By the way, why did you leave the world meeting? Unlike most representatives, we know you wouldn’t leave on a whim. You usually have your reasons for doing things.”
Oh, Delaware. His oldest son was always one of his more observant kids, so it didn’t surprise him that the state would notice that something was wrong.
“It’s complicated,” America answered, and despite his son frowning, he continued to be vague. “It's got to do with old business, but nothing too much.”
“Oh,” Delaware responded, reluctantly deciding to drop the topic. “At least it’s not about the Civil War.”
“That too,” America admitted, feeling a headache coming on. “Didn’t want to spend my whole time being lectured by England, Germany, and most of the world.”
“So the heroes did cause some problems,” Delaware commented, eyes slightly widening. “And yet, you are still obsessed with them?”
“It’s just who I am,” America confidently said, his words genuine. “I know they have their flaws, but their flaws just make them more amazing!
For the rest of his flight, America began to talk about the different heroes he had met and why he found them amazing. As he spoke, Delaware wondered if his dad’s love for heroes was why the country had a high concentration of superpowered (enhanced and mutant) people.
Could also explain why he and his siblings are mutating or becoming enhanced.
Peter claimed his spot on the beanbag while New Jersey promised that next time, she’ll win the race to the beanbag. Pennsylvania leaned on the wall not too far as he tried to drink his soda in peace. Rhode Island is not letting the slightly older state have that peace because he wanted the last can and had to act like a menace. Massachusetts was less of a menace by not bothering Pennsylvania, but he’d still drunk all the soda he brought, so no one else could have it.
Granted, they were all menaces and agents of chaos in their own unique ways. It was just that some were more of a menace than others. Rhode Island is one of the states that are up there, while someone like New Hampshire is an average menace.
“I know everyone loves our father, but let me remind you that it’s a very horrible idea to prank the nations,” Delaware warned, hoping his siblings would listen to reason. “We don’t want to cause any trouble for Dad.”
“But why,” Rhode Island asked as he stopped bothering Pennsylvania. “We hadn’t gotten even against England after everything he put us through!”
“I dislike him, but we can’t put ourselves in jeopardy to prank our grandfather,” Delaware commented, attempting to restrain himself from giving in to the temptation to mess with the brit. “Additionally, Dad is already used to the nation's thinking is an American idiot. He doesn’t need us to defend him.”
Peter would disagree. He’s still salty about the Battle of Long Island's result in British control of the port of New York. The battle's outcome led him to flee weeks later, since an increasing number of loyalists occupying the area knew the existence of representatives. Dad feared that England would find him and take him away to use as a bargaining chip, hostage, or somehow brainwash him.
There were a few close calls where he encountered England as a soldier and a civilian. The one that comes to the top of his head was when he was in his civilian attire, wandering around the streets, and bumped into the country.
It was a terrifying experience that made him have nightmares until the Revolutionary War ended. It’s different to meet your enemy as a civilian since you’re more vulnerable. He was a physically young kid who gave off the unmistakable aura of a representation to anyone who knew what to look for.
England was looking at him with calculating eyes. If it weren’t for the runaway horse destroying everything in its path, Peter wouldn’t have had the opportunity to escape.
“Is England our grandfather, an uncle, or some nation that raised Dad?” New Hampshire questioned, and now everyone else is wondering the same thing. “Actually, does he have any biological ties to us like Dad, or do nations really raise any child nations they find?”
“Biological ties or not, I want to dump a bucket of molasses and a bag of feathers on top of him,” Massachusetts shared as almost all the nations nodded in agreement. “It won’t be too hard to lie to our human families and fly out of the country for a few weeks.”
True. Peter was able to lie to Leeds by convincing Ned to make some fake paperwork about a school-sponsored education trip. When he returned, the couple assumed it would be a long science camp trip and didn’t ask too many questions.
“Massachusetts, no,” Delaware groaned, slamming his palm onto his forehead. “We can’t just leave the country.”
“But New York did,” Rhode Island pointed out, and before he could continue, Peter tackled him.
“You weren’t supposed to tell anyone until I told Delaware,” Peter reminded as he sat atop the state.
“Tell me what?” Delaware questioned in a low, serious tone.
Peter sheepishly revealed that he had left the country and had attempted to lie about the trip being a school-sponsored event. Of course, Delaware didn’t believe him and gave him ‘the look.’ It was the type of look that silenced the room and terrified even the toughest guys in the world.
So, he had no choice but to explain how he got a spider-related enhancement after a radioactive spider bit him and how he became Spider-Man.
“Are you fucking serious?” New Jersey shouted, staring at her brother in shock. “You’re Spider-Man? The vigilante that has been rising in popularity not only in the Northeast but the entire country!?!”
“Damn, I can’t believe my brother never told me he’s a part-time vigilante, “Massachusetts mentioned, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “I thought we were close enough to tell each other these types of secrets.”
“I expected this behavior from Rhode Island, but not you,” Pennsylvania admitted, unfazed by the revelation. “But considering you were the one who fired cannonballs at England centuries ago, your extracurricular activity doesn’t surprise me.”
It’s official. Peter is screwed. By the end of the day, all of his siblings will know his secret and will bombard him with so many questions. He just knows that some of them will book a flight to New York to question or see what he does.
If New Hampshire weren’t here, he would have an extra few days to prepare himself, but his sister is already texting on her phone. It hasn’t been a few minutes!
“You let Tony Stark take you out of the country,” Delaware yelled as Peter squirmed under his brother’s gaze. “Do you want the nations to know about our existence?”
“I didn’t want the Leeds to know about Spider-Man,” Peter admitted as he stood up. “And it’s Tony Stark! I can’t just say no! He’s one of my favorites!”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Delaware said, sounding absolutely done. “We’ll keep your secret, but please, don’t do anything stupid like leaving the country. “
For a moment, everything was absolutely silent. Nobody made a single peep, the birds were unusually quiet, and no cars passed by. The gentle breeze that made the leaves sway abruptly stopped, and the thin branch that was knocking on the window was perfectly still.
It was peaceful, a rarity among the states. It would have remained that way if one of the states hadn’t decided to open its mouth to disrupt the peace.
“Can we still prank England?” Rhode Island asked, lifting his head up from the floor. “Pretty please!”
Peter didn’t expect his oldest brother to agree, but apparently, Delaware decided that everyone had permission to prank the man if the nation set foot in America. All they had to do was make sure they didn’t get caught and involve him in the pranks.
Somewhere in the world, England felt cold shivers up his spine.